Sofa bed



SePt- 16 1958 J. J. BARABAS ETAL 2,851,698

SOFA BED Filed Aug. 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 *P* /d ze 634 l JaINVENToRs J/,w 29e/M5195' Sept. 16,-1958 J J. BARABAs ETAL 2,351,698

son BED Filed Aug. 2s, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 2,851,698 Patented Sept.16, 1958 SOFA BED .lohn J. Barabas, New Rochelle, and Sumner C. Willis,White Plains, N. Y., assignors to Castro Convertible Corporation, -acorporation of New York Application August 23, 1956, Serial No. 605,812Claims. (Cl. 5-13) This invention relates to convertible beds which canfold into sofas and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved bed mechanism fora convertible sofa bed.

A further object is to provide such a sofa bed having greater seatingcomfort.

A more specific object is to provide a bed mechanism particularly suitedfor use with a permanently attached nnerspring cushion or unitpositioned beneath the removable seat cushions of the sofa-bed.

These and other objects will in part be pointed out in and in. part beunderstood from the description given hereinafter.

In sofa-beds of the general kind shown in U. S. Patent 2,752,613, abed'mechanism is adapted to fold Within a frame to be used as anordinary sofa or alternately as a full-sized bed. For seating comfort,the mattresssupporting springs of the bed mechanism are covered by sofacushions which are removed when the bed is to be unfolded. Some modelsofa-beds, however, may be provided with relatively thin sofa `cushionsand this, in turn, makes it desirable to provide additional padding orcushioning between the removable seat cushions and the mat-Hess-supporting springs of the bed mechanism. A thin nnerspring unitmakes a particularly suitable pad `or cushion for this purpose. Such aunit may be permanently attached to that section of the bed mechanismwhich is uppermost when the bed is in folded position to provide aresilient support for the removable seat cushions.

One troublesome difficulty with usingy such an intermediate innerspringunit or cushion in the past has been that the added thickness of such aunit causes interference with the operation of the folding bedmechanism. This diiiiculty is compounded in four-section sofa-bedshaving movable frontboards because an nnerspring unit xed to thatsection of the bed which is on top when in folded position must move toinverted position when the bed is unfolded. During this movement itmoves closely past and rubs against the frontboard which is also moving.The present invention is concerned "with eliminating this 'triible Inaccordance with the present invention a four-section sofa-bed mechanism,for example, of the type generally disclosed in the above-identifiedpatent, is provided with an nnerspring cushion permanently fastened tothe bottom side of the outer end section of the bed, i. e. the sidewhich becomes the top portion covered by the seat cushions when the bedis in folded position. The bed is further provided with a movable frontboard connected to the mechanism by an improved linkage arrangementwhich causes the frontboard to move quickly out of the way of thennerspring unit during the early stages of unfolding the mechanism fromsofa to bed position. The frontboard, by virtue of this improvedmechanism, cannot rub against the nnerspring cushion unit. At the sametime, it is not moved out into a position where it interferes with theperson operating the bed. Thus, folding and unfolding of the bed doesnot 2 result in undue wear of these parts, and superior comfort isprovided when the unit is used as a sofa.

A better understanding of the invention together with a fullerappreciation of its many advantages` will best be gained from a study ofvthe following ydescription given in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view, partly cut away, of a sofa-bed embodyingfeatures of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a View similarto Figure l but showing the bed in fullyunfolded position; 4

Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of a vportion of Jthe bed mechanism inpartly unfolded position but with the frontboard and nnerspring cushionin the same relative position as shown in Figure l; and p n Figures 4,5, and 6 are views similar'to Figure 3 but taken at progressively latertimes during the `unfolding of the bed mechanism. K

Referring `to Figure v1, the sofa-bed, generally indicated at 10includes a stationary frame 11 and la foldable bed mechanism, generallyindicated at 12, which is adapted to be folded within the Aframe 11asrshown. When so folded, the top sectioniof the bed mechanism bears theweight of a removable seat cushion 14, .part of which is broken away.Positioned between Vthis cushion and the -bed mechanism is an nnerspringunit 16 which overlies the folded bed mechanism and which is permanentlyaffixed thereto. Also affixed to thismechanism is a frontboard lSjWhichis adapted to -move -forward and swing down as Vthe bed'is unfolded.

Figure 2 shows the bed mechanism 12 in fully unfolded position ready foruse as a bed. Positioned on top of the mechanism is a mattress Zlwhich.previously was folded within mechanism 12. The position of innerspringunit -16 is as shown beneath thefront or outer end section 22 of the bedmechanism 12. Outer end section 22 is connected at its inner end to aconnecting section 24 which is pivoted to an intermediate section 26.This, in turn, is connected to a fourth section 28 pivoted to frame 11of the bed. Mattress-supporting springs 29 are stretched between theside rails of these sections and act to support mattress 20 as shown inFigure 2. As can be seen here, frontboard 18 has moved out from frame`11 and now -liesalmost horizontal a short distance above the iioor.Section 22 is supported above lthe oor by the leg 30 and section 26 bythe leg 32. In moving to the inverted position shown, nnerspring unit 16is not obstructed bythe -frontboard by virtue of the linkage now to bedescribed.

As seen in Figure 2, the nearend of frontboard -A1f8gis fastened to thecurved bracket .34, `theother end of the frontboard being similarlymounted on au bracket vnot shown. Bracket 34 `is pivoted to the armn36at 38. `Referring now to Figures 3, 4, 5 uand 6 which lshow the mountinglinkage -of frontboard 18 iup-enlarged detail -at progressively laterstages in the unfolding of bed mechanism 12, it is seen that the innerend of arm 36 is pivoted at 40 to the plate 42 which is permanentlyfastened to the side rail 44 of connecting section 24. Rail 44 ispivoted at 46 to the side rail 48 of connecting section 26 and pivotedat 50 to the side rail 52 of outer end section 22.

As seen in Figure 3, side rails 44 and 52 are disposed at right anglesto each other as are rails 44 and 48, rails 48 and 52 being parallel andheld apart by the arm 54 which is pivoted at 56 to rail 48. Furtherunfolding of the bed mechanism from the position shown here to thatshown in Figure 4 results in the swinging forward of arm 54, this beingcaused by the link 58 which is pivoted at 60 to the arm and pivoted at62 to rail 44. The swinging of arm 54 is transmitted to arm 36 by thelink 64 pivoted to these arms at 66 and 38, respectively. This causesbracket 34 and frontboard. 18 to quickly move outward from section 24and away from innerspring unit 16. During this outward movement ofbracket 34, it is kept generally parallel to section 24 by the pullingaction of the link 68 pivoted to the lower end of bracket 34 at 70 andto link 58 at 72. Though frontboard 18 quickly moves outward fromsection 24, nonetheless it does not move out and down so quickly as tobe likely to strike a leg of the person opening the bed.

Pivoted to rail 44 vof connection section 24 at 74 is a link 76 whoseother end is slidably fastened in the slot 78 in rail 48. The functionof link 76 is to limit the pivoting of rail 44 on the end of rail 48between the positions shown in Figures 3 and 6, respectively.

When bed mechanism 12 has been unfolded to the position of Figure 6,frontboard 18 occupies the position shown here and in Figure 2. In thisposition, pivots 6i), 66 and 72 lie along au approximately straight lineparallel to rail 48. Arm 36 is approximately perpendicular to rail 44which is on a straight line with rail 48. The relative shape anddimensions of the elements shown in Figures 3-6 can be exactly as shown.

The above description of the invention is intended in illustration andnot in limitation thereof. Various changes may occur to those skilled inthe art and these may be made without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention as set forth.

We claim:

l. In a convertible bed of the character described wherein an endsection is adapted to be folded back generally horizontally over anintermediate section and t be spaced therefrom by a short verticalconnecting section to which is affixed a movable frontboard, and whereina seating cushion having some thickness is permanently fixed on top ofsaid end section, a first side rail constituting part of saidintermediate section, having an inner end movably fastened to a fixedframe, and having an outer end, a second side rail constituting part ofsaid connecting section, having an inner end pivoted to the outer end ofsaid first rail and having an outer end, a third side rail constitutingpart of said end section, having an inner end pivoted to the outer endof said secon rail and having an outer end, a first swingable armpivoted at its upper end to said second rail adjacent its outer end andadapted to lie against said rail and extend toward its inner end withthe lower end of said first arm being adjacent the inner end of saidsecond rail when said bed is in folded position, a second arm pivoted atits lower end to said first rail a short distance inward from its outerend, the upper end of said second arm being adapted to swing forward, afirst link pivoted bctween said second rail and said second arm andadapted to pull said second arm forward when said sections are unfolded,a second link pivoted between said first and second arms, a frontboardsupporting bracket having an upper and lower end and at a pointintermediate its ends pivoted near the lower end of said first arm andadapted to extend upward closely alongside said second arm and tosupport an end of a frontboard in vertical position 4 when said bed isin folded position, and a third link pivoted at one end adjacent thelower end of said bracket and at the other end to said first link at apoint intermediate its ends.

2. The combination of elements as in claim l wherein said first link ispivoted to said second arm at a point roughly midway between its endsand is pivoted to said second rail at a point roughly midway between itsends, wherein said second link is pivoted to said second arm adjacentits upper end and is pivoted to said first arm adjacent the lower endthereof at the same point said bracket is pivoted thereto, and whereinsaid bracket is curved along its lower end inward toward the lower endof said second rail.

3. The combination of elements as in claim l wherein said second arm isadapted to hold said first and third rails spaced apart when said bed isin folded position.

4. An improved sofa-bed mechanism including an end section, a connectingsection, and an intermediate section, respective sections being pivotedtogether and with said end section adapted to overlie said intermediatesection in parallel generally horizontal relation when said bed isfolded in sofa position, a raised cushion attached to the top side ofsaid end section, a frontboard pivoted to said connecting section, andlink means actuated by the unfolding of said sections to quickly movcsaid frontboard away from said connecting section at the beginning ofunfolding of said bed so that said frontboard is moved clear of saidcushion and does not rub against it, said link means including at eachend of said frontboard a bracket attached to said frontboard, a firstarm pivoted at one end at a first point to said bracket and at its otherend to said connecting section and adapted to support said frontboardand bracket closely parallel in front of said connecting section whensaid bed is folded, a linkage connected between said intermediatesection and said connecting section, and a first link pivoted at one endto said bracket at a second point substantially spaced from said firstpoint and pivoted at its other end to said linkage, and means additionalto said rst link, said means actuated by the unfolding of saidconnecting and intermediate sections to move said first pivot quicklyoutward, there being no direct connection between said end section andsaid bracket.

5. The structure as in claim 4 wherein said linkage includes a secondarm pivoted at its lower end to said intermediate section and a secondlink pivoted between said connecting section and the upper end of saidsecond arm, and said additional means includes a third link pivoted tosaid bracket and to said linkage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS2,624,888 Bebry Jan. 13, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 743,006 France Jan. 6,1933

